When we returned to Hearthome City, it was to find that the gym leader Fantina had returned but instead of accepting an official challenge from Ash, they had an ordinary battle outside, where Ash had trouble dealing with Hypnosis, which seemed to be the gym leader's signature move.
After a crushing defeat, Ash was dead set on trying to find a way to get around the Hypnosis, however progress was a little slow. We continued our journey towards Dawn's next contest, stopping at a mountain cabin for the day so that Brock could head down the mountain to fetch medicine supplies, but when Pachirisu became sick, all hell broke loose.
Dawn was in a fit of worry and Ash had no idea what to do, so I did my best to deal with the problem without Brock. I knew to expose Pachirisu's tail, but she was feverish and her voltage was way too high as she was crackling constantly at her cheeks, meaning she was overloaded with electricity. Probably when she'd been shocked with a shower of cold water and had sparked off angrily at Ash and the water had conducted it back into her body, trapping it inside.
There wasn't anything I could do about the electricity until Brock got back with the equipment, and after discharging the excess electricity, Pachirisu was back on the mend. We'd decided that Dawn and Ash needed medical training, so we actually spent a couple of days both on the road and stopping in towns teaching them both how to deal with as many situations we could think of, using the Pokémon for them to practice bandaging and I wrote two copies of detailed instructions about how to deal with a simple graze, to a common cold or to a serious injury that needed to be treated right away.
After that, it was straight on to Dawn's contest. But first, it's time for some shopping! There was a store in the city full to the brim with items and clothing made and designed by a world famous Pokéstylist called Lyla, who also used to be a Pokémon coordinator and had battled Dawn's mother in her youth, even defeating her.
"Here it is, awesome!" Dawn squealed as she walked inside.
"Dawn this is so great! Look! They've got Wallace's stage costume!" Brock said, shooting over to the model of the costume Wallace wore when he was in the top coordinator carnival, according to Dawn. I looked around and saw so many pretty and amazing things, but all with prices to match. There was no way I could afford any of this.
After browsing, Brock and I had to literally drag Dawn away from the store to take her to her contest before she became late or missed the entire thing. "Dawn you have to leave, now!" I grunted as I pulled on her arm.
"Wait! Let me just look through these accessories one last time!" She pleaded but both Brock and I answered together with a yell.
"No!" Finally we pulled her free and we all hurried to the contest stadium where Dawn rushed off to get ready and we took our seats in the hall, getting a good view of the stage. I didn't have any Pokémon out with me today, as Aurora didn't like being surrounded by so many people, and everyone else was pretty tired from the special intense training we'd been practicing yesterday and some of the morning, so I was letting them rest.
"Alright! Let's get things started." Lilian called out brightly to the audience and they all cheered wildly. "We'll get underway with a beautiful and always exciting appeals round! Presenting our first coordinator. This lovely lady is making her first appearance in twenty years! Please welcome the tiger lily of Celestic Town, Lyla!" She announced and instantly my jaw dropped.
"She's here?! Wow! Dawn's going to go crazy when she meets her." I said and Brock nodded his head. "Imagine if they got to the finals? Now that would be a battle worth seeing." Swinub sniffed its snout as he sat on my lap and I fed him a poffin to keep him satisfied, one of my own recipes inspired by Professor Oak's expanding Pokéblock. Basically a poffin that did the same thing then boom, an instantly hunger satisfied Swinub.
Lyla brought out a Cherrim which instantly transformed when it came into contact with sunlight, which instantly caused every heart in the stadium to melt. Cherrim showed off its Magical Leaf and Sunny Day wonderfully, filling the stadium with a picture of a glowing green flower which had the whole audience gasping in awe. Yup. It's like she never left.
There were some awesome and very beautiful performances, though some were a little bit of a let-down, like Jessalina, who basically pulled the same stunt as before by using her Pokémon to show off herself and fly through the air. That was just…painful to watch.
However everything became better when Dawn appeared on stage. She seemed so calm and confident that it had all of us cheering even as she called out Buneary. Buneary used Bounce, jumping all over the stage before spinning on her ears in the most adorable way and the entire crowd loved it. Buneary then used Ice Beam to make a tall slide which she slid down then skated gracefully across the ice, looking like she was having the time of her life.
Buneary hopped onto her ears with Dizzy Punch, the colours shining brightly on the ice as Buneary skated then started to spin, though after a few moments, she began to lose control. My breath caught in my throat as I watched Buneary fly through the air, spinning out of control but then Dawn caught her in one hand and posed, smiling broadly and Buneary copied it, as if it had been planned all along and the crowd went wild, cheering for Buneary's adorableness and Dawn's quick thinking.
Ash and Brock went down to see Dawn so I stayed out to keep an eye on the Pokémon as the results were decided by the judges. Who would go through and who wouldn't. I crossed my fingers and my toes. Dawn looked great out there. There's just no way she couldn't make it through, I know she'll do it.
When the pictures started to flash up on screen, I held my breath once more. Lyla was through straight away, which was a no brainer, but the pictures went all the way to the last spot with no Dawn. Come on, she has to make it through! Finally the last spot appeared and I sighed with relief as Dawn's face smiled down at me. "Way to go Dawn." I murmured as the Pokémon all cheered. "Alright guys, make sure you cheer for Dawn and Ambipom extra loud, okay?" I said and they all beamed at me.
"Piplup Pip!"
"Chipa Chipa!"
"Swinub!" They all answered and I chuckled before turning to watch the stage. I always love watching contests, almost as much as I love being in them, but the most exciting battles were always Dawn's and Lyla's, so when it came to the final round with the both of them facing off, I was psyched and ready to watch and awesome battle.
It kicked off with a spinning Swift, but Lyla got her Delcatty to dodge with Substitute, putting a fake Delcatty in its place before the real one appeared behind Ambipom and wrapped itself up in her tail to use Shockwave with great strength and power, creating a beautiful display that had my mouth hanging open in awe.
Dawn quickly countered back with Double Team into Focus Punch, which should have a great effect on Delcatty being a normal type, however something strange happened. Ambipom suddenly started acting all weird, gazing at Delcatty with a star struck expression. Oh yeah! Delcatty's special ability is Cute Charm, which means that sometimes when a Pokémon of the opposite gender hits, it can cause the attacker to become infatuated with the other and fall in love. Bad news for Dawn.
Delcatty used Sing to put Ambipom to sleep then Iron Tail to fling her around like a rag doll. However when Ambipom was hit with Shockwave, it seemed to wake her up and snap her out of attract status. Alright! Now hit them with everything you've got Dawn, you have to make every move count!
Dawn went for Swift but this time when Lyla countered with Substitute, both Ambipom and Dawn were ready and got behind Delcatty for a Double Hit attack. Delcatty went flying to the ground but Ambipom was once again attracted to Delcatty, making it hard for Dawn to get Ambipom to attack, however she played her best card by using Double Team.
I watched in great anticipation as Delcatty started to use Sing, but Ambipom managed to use Double Hit at Dawn's command to knock the musical notes back and even strike down Delcatty. Ambipom snapped out of her attract and obeyed Dawn's order of Sift, leaping up into the air as Delcatty countered with Shockwave after being hit the first time by the fountain of stars.
It was amazing and beautiful, seeing the two attacks combine to make a swirling mass that glittered brightly, lighting up the entire stage before Ambipom broke through and struck Delcatty again with Swift just as the time ran out. "Time's up! So, who will be getting the Celestic Town contest ribbon?" Lilian questioned as the result was put on the main screen. "It's Dawn and her Ambipom!" We all leaped up and began to cheer loudly in celebration, the Pokémon all chorusing loudly as we shouted out Dawn's name and whooped for joy. That's her third ribbon, no need to worry, Dawn's on her way to the Grand Festival very soon!
When the award ceremony was over, Lyla brought us back to her shop which was now closed, so we had it all to ourselves. "Dawn, to celebrate your victory, you may pick out whatever you like. Guys? That goes for you as well." She told us and I gasped as I stood with Aurora, Shieldon and Leafeon.
"You mean it? Really?" I questioned before we all chorused together. "Lyla, thanks so much!" I dashed around the store, looking for something special but not too greedy. Aurora surrounded herself with sparkling things, wearing necklaces, bracelets and even a cute little tiara on her head which made me beam at her. It was made of silver with a ruby at the centre, glittering brightly with flowers all neatly entwined to make a simple yet beautiful accessory. "You look beautiful." I told Aurora as she twirled for me.
"I agree, but I think I know someone that tiara will suit even better." Lyla said as she took off my hat, expertly brushed out my hair with fast strokes of a brush she pulled out from her bag, making be blink I surprise before she twisted it back in a quick, elaborate design then pinned it in place before scooting me over to a changing room. "Now put this, this and this on. Oh and this!" She instructed me, throwing me a dress covered with a protective plastic covering as well as some jewellery. "And don't forget these!" A pair of shoes were tossed in after me, making me squeak as I caught them before staring at everything. What is all this?
I undressed then opened the bag to look at the dress inside and instantly gasped, staring with adoration at the beautiful gown. It was a dress of rich burgundy silk yet with a simple design. It had thin straps and a silver sequin pattern bordering the heart shaped neckline that would sit modestly high on my chest. As I slipped into it I made sure so take extra care of it, though I noted the price and I almost whipped it back off again. The shoes were strappy and flashy with studded fake white gems to match the sequins on the top of my dress and add a little more flash to it as well. I looked at my neckerchief and took it off, leaving on my own necklace but I did put on the one Lyla had handed me as well, as it scooped down over my chest in a large pale pink pendant that added more flash.
Pulling the bangles onto the opposite wrist to my charm bracelets, I looked at my reflection in the mirror and almost didn't recognise myself. I just…couldn't believe that the girl staring back at me wearing a priceless dress and all these real jewels was actually me.
"Hey Ruby! You nearly done in there?" Dawn called out and I gulped.
"Yeah. I'm coming out." I announced but then Lyla squeaked.
"No! Stay right there, let me look at you first before you show your friends." With that she slipped into the large dressing room with me, springing all around me to inspect me from all angles. "Don't need this, don't need those, add a little this and that…" She attacked me with makeup, making me squeak and flinch back before she made me stand still.
Lyla had taken off the necklace she'd given me, saying it was far too flashy and degrading, preferring my own necklace and she removed the bangles too as apparently they just didn't work, though she liked the personal touch of my charm bracelets before making me take them off and put on some silk white gloves that stretched all the way up my arms and a little past my elbows. "What's all this for?" I asked and she just beamed down at me.
"I'm a stylist, darling, and when I see something with potential, I just have to see what I can do with it!" She declared. "Now hold still, I'm almost done." She'd highlighted my face by contouring, bronzing my cheeks ever so slightly and used eyeshadow that gave a bronzed smoky cat eye effect, bringing out the brightness of my blue eyes that she described as "luminous". My lashes were curled and plastered with mascara, though when I looked at myself, it was as if Lyla had done nothing at all.
She'd brought out all my features naturally, you could only see the makeup around my eyes because it was so striking yet extremely well done. My lips were rosy and shiny with gloss and my hair was perfectly neat and well groomed, styled so that it curled into a tidy bun at the base of my neck with a little lift around my head so that it didn't look like it was being restricted.
"There…you're ready." Lyla announced then ushered me to stand in front of the curtain. "Get ready everyone for my masterpiece!" She called then swung back the curtain to reveal me. Just before Lyla had added a white silk belt and tied it neatly in a bow at my waist, added a little more colour to the plain deep red as I stepped out with a shy and slightly embarrassed look on my face as everyone stared at me. Even Croagunk seemed shocked by my transformation, and he doesn't even do facial expressions!
"Ruby…you look…"
"Ridiculous?" I offered. "It's how I feel."
"No! No you look beautiful!" Dawn quickly corrected me as Brock nodded his head in agreement.
"I'll say. That's got to be the prettiest dress I've ever seen, and it suits you perfectly." He told me and I blushed further, burning bright red. "You look amazing in it."
"Yeah Ruby! Who knew you could look so…girly." Ash said but when I shot him a glare, he quickly tried to retrace his footsteps and recover himself. "I mean that in a good way! You look really pretty!"
"Doesn't she just? Just one more thing. Ah, thank you dear." Lyla smiled as Aurora held out the tiara she had been wearing and Lyla then crowned me with it. It was like she'd styled my hair exactly for that crown. It fit perfectly, resting on my soft hair as the ruby glittered brightly.
"It's a ruby for Ruby!" Dawn giggled. "Wow, I can't believe how different you look!" At Dawn's words I managed to lift my head and smile, tilting my head to the side slightly but when I saw Brock snapping a photo, I instantly panicked.
"No! Delete that right now!"
"Nope. This one is staying where I can prove to everyone that you're not some grubby Ursaring all the time." He laughed, lifting my camera out of reach as I lunged for it. "It's just a photo, no big deal."
"It is to me!" I yelled back as Lyla laughed.
"Well it's decided. You simply must take all of this with you!" She declared and I spun around, staring in shock. "Dawn was telling me all about how you too are a coordinator, and how much you have helped her. Because of you, we were able to have such a wonderful battle today, so I insist you take everything that you are wearing, so that when you return to Sinnoh contests, you will look utterly ravishing and I shall be proud to see you wearing a dress from my collection!" She cheered, snapping her fingers and instantly she had three assistants behind her. "Would you mind packing all these items for our good friends here? And throw in a few surprise gifts as well."
"Yes ma'am." They agreed and I was ushered back into the changing room. Once I was back in my own clothes, I immediately felt more comfortable and I was glad to wipe all that makeup off my face, however I couldn't deny how happy I was to be receiving such a beautiful dress. But the shoes and the tiara as well? That was too much.
No matter how much I tried to tell Lyla it was far too much for her to simply give to me, she wouldn't hear a word of it and I had no choice but to take it with sincere gratitude and thanks. We waved goodbye as we left and head back to the Pokémon centre, where Dawn instantly unpacked all her gifts and admired them all. She had new hair accessories for herself and her Pokémon, a couple of the latest magazines containing newest designs and trends, a new necklace, stylist sewing case with all things a designer would need and a cute clutch bag that suited Dawn perfectly.
Looking down at my things, I couldn't help but smile. Lyla had given me my own Pokéball capsules, some awesome seals that I couldn't wait to try out, notebooks containing detailed directions on how to fix your hair and makeup into different styles and plenty of utensils to make those looks happen. There was a pallet of eyeshadow of all the colours you could think of, lipsticks and lip glosses of all kinds of reds, pinks, nudes and even some wild ones like black and dark blue, mascaras, false eyelashes of all kinds, curling tongs, straighteners, hairspray and a tonne of other stuff. "Dawn, don't you feel at all bad at getting all this free stuff? It would take me a lifetime just to save up for half of it!"
"No need to worry! Lyla is so wealthy from all her success that she can afford to be a little charitable to people like us. It's not like we're bankrupting her, and she wanted to give this all away!" Dawn said with an excited grin before holding up a seal. "Hey, do you have this one too?" I picked it out from my collection. Rainbow sparkles, bound to dazzle any audience, said the description. "This one would look great with Ambipom's Swift entrance, don't you think?"
"I think you're right." I agreed as I gave one last adoring look at the dress that was neatly folded away in its protective bag and the box that held my new tiara before I sealed up the cardboard box I'd picked up and sealed it up, placing my home address on the top to send home first thing in the morning.
"Aren't you going to keep it with you?" Dawn questioned in surprise and I chuckled.
"That dress wouldn't last a day out on the road, let alone the tiara. I'm sending everything home where it will be safe and when I need it, I'll go back for it all. For now, I don't need to carry all this stuff around with me."
"You're right. Maybe I should send some stuff home too." Dawn said thoughtfully before yawning. "Well, I'm exhausted. I think I'm going to go to sleep." She announced, settling down under her covers. "Goodnight Ruby."
"Night Dawn. Sleep well." I answered back as Aurora jumped down from the window and bounded over to my bed as I put the box aside then climbed into bed too. We nestled down together and I smiled as Aurora instinctively curled into me, finding comfort as her paw gripped onto my shirt. With a smile I closed my eyes and swiftly went to sleep.